Subscribe

MIRCEA CANTOR LIVES AND WORKS ON EARTH

Mircea Cantor is a Romanian-born artist who is internationally recognized as one of the most important contemporary figures of the last decade. His work was curated in one of the most prestigious museums in the world: The Museum of Modern Art, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, The Philadelphia Museum of Art and many more. In 2011, he won the Marcel Duchamp Prize, followed by an exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, presenting four of his works: Sic Transit Gloria Mundi, 2012; Epic Fountain, 2012; Don’t judge, 2012; Wind orchestra, 2012. Currently he displays a vast exposition in Bucharest, called Mircea Cantor Q.E.D., at the The National Museum of Contemporary Art. The artist plays with symbolism in different mediums: drawings, paintings, photographs, videos, sculptures and art installations. Although the artist currently lives in Paris, France, he declares he lives and works on earth.
Image via http://www.mirceacantor.ro/

One of the most impressive projects he did with MOMA in 2008, ‘Deeparture’, shows a deer and a wolf kept in a white room. Mircea Cantor filmed the encounter in detail, exploring every move, every reaction and the interesting part is that two animals didn’t interact, both showing clearly distress.

‘Unpredictable future’ shows a steamy window where we see the trace of the writing of someone’s finger with the two words which they can mean anything and everything in these disturbed times. Or at anytime.

Image via www.mirceacantor.ro

Another favourite is ‘Vertical attempt’, a video starring a little boy who cuts with a scissor the water running from a faucet. It is a 3 seconds video that goes on and on on a loop, which finishes briskly when the scissors cut.

Image via www.mirceacantor.ro

However, another powerfull video in the exhibition, which you can see also from the first floor, is ‘Tracking Happiness’ where seven women dressed in white, sweeping away each other’s footsteps on the white, sandy floor. The rest, we’ll let you discover for yourself. The exhibition started almost a year ago and will be on display only until the 13th of April so, if you’re in Bucharest, make sure not to miss it. And now, check out this video with more of his works by clicking here.